Jennifer Bacall - Door County Library Unverified 12:09 PM One Ember Hannesson deleted their own message. 12:09 PM Charon Stolz12:09 PM true 3 or 4 depending on the situation Emily Unverified 12:09 PM Its weird I have 2 above but none below me. Joseph Wolf Unverified 12:09 PM 3 levels Lucy Quartararo Unverified 12:09 PM 3 bro Unverified 12:10 PM 1 Ferdinand Tumulak Unverified 12:10 PM 3 Jane Unverified 12:13 PM 2 Tammy Murphy Unverified 12:16 PM Good description of a typical day! Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:18 PM Or a typical hour! πŸ˜… Rosalia Unverified 12:18 PM Sure sounds like middle managers should be making the highest salary out of everyone...they essentially travel between 3 tiers of the org on the regular. :) Tammy M Unverified 12:20 PM That is the story of my life! Jennifer Unverified 12:20 PM My everyday Shelby Rozell Unverified 12:20 PM Me right now Morgan Morison Unverified 12:20 PM how did you find that pic of me? Kayla Unverified 12:20 PM Every day KW Kim Bryant Welch12:20 PM I tell people interested in branch management that they are essentially becoming a diplomat - carrying the needs and goals of both leadership and their staff back and forth NB Naomi Bishop12:20 PM yes Emily Unverified 12:20 PM yessssss WJ Support Unverified 12:20 PM Do you believe this is a typical feeling of middle management? Nicole Brown Unverified 12:20 PM every day Jane Unverified 12:20 PM yep Alex Deighton Unverified 12:20 PM For sure Edina Osmanovic Unverified 12:20 PM yess Shelagh Griffin (she/her) Unverified 12:20 PM This is on my desk. I feel seen Jannell Unverified 12:20 PM yep Erline Maingot-Lee Unverified 12:20 PM Story of my life!!! Joely Unverified 12:20 PM yes!! Emily Unverified 12:20 PM I'm so burnout. Olivia E Unverified 12:20 PM yep Kendra Sims Unverified 12:20 PM Every single day Katherine A Unverified 12:20 PM oh yes Tessy Walker - Aurora Public Library Unverified 12:20 PM yep Amanda Ray Unverified 12:20 PM every day in libraries, yes Kristen Thornton-De Stafeno Unverified 12:20 PM Very accurate lol KC Kysh Clemons12:20 PM Every day! Amber Ard Unverified 12:20 PM yep Laura (she/her) Unverified 12:20 PM always Jenny C (she/her) Unverified 12:20 PM πŸ‘ Heather Unverified 12:20 PM sometimes! Charon Stolz12:20 PM yes Tegan C. Unverified 12:20 PM ABSOLUTELY BS Bateman, Sarah12:20 PM Literally used that meme yesterday Libby Unverified 12:20 PM ABSOLUTELY Kelly McCorkle Unverified 12:20 PM definitely Emily O Unverified 12:20 PM All day every day Ember Hannesson Unverified 12:20 PM 100% Ashleigh Edwards Unverified 12:20 PM Me with my coffee and Alani Amy Alexander12:20 PM Absolutely Megan Gironda Unverified 12:20 PM I literally have a stuffed dumpster fire that says "everything is fine" with flames coming out of it Nataya Culler Unverified 12:20 PM Burnt out and everything else is burnt to Jessi Dixon Unverified 12:21 PM No-man's land Emily Unverified 12:21 PM definitely unsafe Frank Unverified 12:21 PM ambiguous Laura (she/her) Unverified 12:21 PM no boundaries Emily Sullivan Unverified 12:21 PM "other duties as assigned" Heather Unverified 12:21 PM things that happen outside policy and procedures Allison Unverified 12:21 PM fog Allison M, AACPL (she/her) Unverified 12:21 PM hard to get people to accept it RNR Unverified 12:21 PM neutrality Shelagh Griffin (she/her) Unverified 12:21 PM unclear direction/goals Jennifer Henry Unverified 12:21 PM messy, inconsistent Kristen Thornton-De Stafeno Unverified 12:21 PM neutral. between. uncertain. undefined. KC Kysh Clemons12:21 PM Not one way or the other. Middle of the road. DJ Unverified 12:21 PM Ambiguous Johanna Russ (she/her) Unverified 12:21 PM don't shoot the messenger, please Amy Alexander12:21 PM HairπŸ˜† Dee Unverified 12:21 PM Lack of... Erline Maingot-Lee Unverified 12:21 PM Everything they do not teach you in school! Erin Unverified 12:21 PM Areas that aren't easily contained within one person's job Natalie S Unverified 12:21 PM Judgement calls Libby Unverified 12:21 PM middle ground Megan Gironda Unverified 12:21 PM Not everything is definitely yes or definitely no. Have to evaluate all options before making a decision. Sometimes there needs to be an alternate solution. Eileen Ybarra Unverified 12:21 PM not fixed Charon Stolz12:21 PM not really my job but someone has to do it and the manager is off site Jannell Unverified 12:21 PM no one answer Jeff Kempe Unverified 12:21 PM Judgement NB Naomi Bishop12:21 PM I think of other duties as assigned. Also anything that pops up during the day you handle. Rebecca B. - DCL Unverified 12:21 PM unclear, not well defined Emily Unverified 12:21 PM no support so just do what you can Nicole Brown Unverified 12:21 PM subjective KC Kysh Clemons12:22 PM FCH191182CN Emily O Unverified 12:22 PM I live in the gray tbh, nothing is cut and dry, goals are ever-changing S Sylvia12:22 PM uncertainty Emily Sheehan Unverified 12:22 PM For me it is anything that is not clearly defined. Usually leads to a judgement call. Beth Unverified 12:22 PM the human element Erin Unverified 12:22 PM No procedure set Charon Stolz12:22 PM other duties as required Ann Marie Unverified 12:22 PM That the path is unclear. Problem solving may be required. Charon Stolz12:22 PM that's actually on our job description bro Unverified 12:22 PM undecided Pam, GMPL Unverified 12:22 PM ours too! LG Unverified 12:22 PM big feelings Laurie Porsia, Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library Unverified 12:23 PM Yes, human element! Jeff Kempe Unverified 12:23 PM outliers Tammy Murphy Unverified 12:23 PM I totally agree about living in the gray. Many staff members take things black and white. I and my assistant handle things when we need to move to a gray area. Carla Aragon Unverified 12:23 PM you are not IN charge but you are not NOT in charge type?? like you are a boss but not THE boss? Sarah Unverified 12:23 PM Doing the best you can with what you've got. Ferdinand Tumulak Unverified 12:23 PM vague Kitti McKean Unverified 12:24 PM grey is mud, cant see through it Shelby Rozell Unverified 12:25 PM Bring some markers along :) Tammy M Unverified 12:25 PM Just keep going and try to solve the issues Emily Unverified 12:25 PM how do you embrace the grey when after you make a decision your decision is questioned? Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:26 PM We will be sure to answer this during the Q & A πŸ™‚ Nicole Alman Unverified 12:25 PM Use a sound judgement call. Sarah Unverified 12:25 PM Having faith in yourself to make appropriate decisions. Rosalia Unverified 12:25 PM Grey is more realistic for life as humans. Things c h a n g e Rebecca B. - DCL Unverified 12:26 PM grey = shape-able Emily O Unverified 12:26 PM I talk to my people and get history and context, and I relay what I do and learn after I do whatever I decide to do in the moment Jenny C (she/her) Unverified 12:26 PM Self-compassion for when you did your best and learned from the experience/mistakes Shelby Rozell Unverified 12:26 PM Edited Quoted from Jenny C (she/her) Go to message Self-compassion for when you did your best and learned from the experience/mistakes especially as a* new manager!!! Sunjoyo Tanto Unverified 12:26 PM Make the best decision today with the best information we have. Discuss with the team or stakeholders to get feedback, if possible. Tammy M Unverified 12:27 PM How do you make these decision when the top manager doesn't allow you to make it through the grey and lead.....the boss is uncomfortable when middle management makes decisions. Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:27 PM Thank you for your question! Also adding to the Q&A queue πŸ™‚ Charon Stolz12:29 PM or some staff tell you "your not my boss" Shelby Rozell Unverified 12:29 PM How to approach senior leadership when there's TOO much grey - even with policies in place that should (in theory) cover certain instances? Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:30 PM Thank you for this question! Adding to the queue πŸ™‚ Megan Gironda Unverified 12:30 PM Middle management can be a dumpster fire and crazy, but at the same time I really enjoy knowing everything going on in a library, i love training and supporting staff. There are a lot of things that are rewarding about middle management. Tammy M Unverified 12:30 PM How do you approach the boss who does not follow policy when you use policy as a middle manager to solve issues Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:30 PM Adding to the list! Thank you! πŸ™‚ Megan Gironda Unverified 12:31 PM This is what can be hard about middle management. I try to have the reason for WHY and push that reason for WHY we need a policy or a change. And also present associated risks if policy is not followed. Tammy M Unverified 12:32 PM I do try to push, but get pushed back when making decisions using solid policy because "policy is antiquated" and they do not want to upset patrons they know personally. Megan Gironda Unverified 12:34 PM I'm sorry I get that, I've been in that position and can be very frustrating. Sometimes you can't do anything about it. Other times depending how severe, I might go to the next level of management above my supervisor. Tammy M Unverified 12:31 PM Empowering your staff and team is the best way to have a library that is run smoothly and has good culture Nataya Culler Unverified 12:33 PM How can you maintain moral when staff are already overworked and have too much on their plate with limited opportunities to advance? Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:33 PM Added to the Q&A list! Thank you πŸ™‚ Shelby Rozell Unverified 12:33 PM What to do when other middle managers are not happy and keep coming to you with issues rather than moving it upward. Is it my responsibility to bring it up if it's not part of my department, but does affect it? Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:34 PM Great question! Thanks for sharing and adding to the list for the Q&A πŸ™‚ Jessica Prutting Unverified 12:34 PM Thank you for saying that, Nicole! I encourage my staff to move ahead/move on at my own detriment because they deserve to thrive! WJ Support Unverified 12:35 PM Think of a moment in the past month when you weren’t sure whom to turn to, what to do, or what to say. In other words, when did you have to navigate the grey? Tammy M Unverified 12:35 PM What do you do when the head leader does not want to keep patron services and operations going/balanced because the focus is on only one department, the programs department, leaving circulation and direct patron services always short staffed Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:36 PM Adding to the list- thank you! KC Kysh Clemons12:36 PM So glad there are others who understand that other duties as assigned includes janitorial duties, babysitting, refereeing, landscaping and covering the desk! Jenny C (she/her) Unverified 12:37 PM Yes, happens all the time! Jennifer Bacall - Door County Library Unverified 12:37 PM I feel like every day as middle manager is working in the grey. There are so many judgment calls in this role. Morgan Morison deleted their own message. 12:37 PM Stacey Unverified 12:37 PM Yes happens all the time Kelly McCorkle Unverified 12:37 PM I rarely have clear instructions or guidance. This lack of communication from leadership means I’m always working within the grey. WJ Support Unverified 12:37 PM Middle Management Resource Guide for Public Library Leaders https://www.webjunction.org/content/dam/WebJunction/Documents/Middle-%20Management-%20Resource-%20Guide.pdf Access the slide deck and resources on the event page. The recording will be posted there within 24 hours. https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/middle-management-strategies.html Ferdinand Tumulak Unverified 12:37 PM yes, during the RQAT, those evaluators feel like they're breathing down my neck hehe Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:38 PM Do you mind defining RQAT? I'm not sure what that is referring to. Thank you! Ferdinand Tumulak Unverified 12:40 PM its Regional Quality Assessment Team, We prepare each year at our community college, conducted by the CHED (Comminssion on Higher Ed.), their favorite spot here is the Library Erin Unverified 12:37 PM Had an end of day money issue, the staff memeber in the IS department that we are supposed to contact to make a correction was not answering. It was a Saturday. None of the admin team was in the building and I was out of town. Megan Gironda Unverified 12:38 PM Have a government supervisor when you are a contractor who was appointed as a middle manager can be difficult. They are the end all be all decision and as a contractor you really have to do a lot of persuading and showing proof of WHY you need a change, and associated risks to saw the Gov Manager to take your side. This is a specials library on a military base so it works in an unusual way Amy Alexander12:41 PM Does anyone have good resources for navigating generational differences? Almost all of my staff is now from a very different generational mindset than myself Tammy M Unverified 12:43 PM And when younger, upper management calls long time employees Old Guard Sarah Unverified 12:41 PM How do other middle managers enforce policies when you have no authority to issue consequences? I can tell admin what is happening and ask for a consequence for staff or patron behaviors, but there is often a delay, and the behavior continues. Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:45 PM Adding to the list! Rosalia Unverified 12:43 PM Thank you so much for having this session! It's honestly the first time I've seen this specific topic offered in library land, and it was super affirming just to know I'm not the only one feeling this way! 🫠 Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:44 PM how do you embrace the grey when after you make a decision your decision is questioned? How do you make these decision when the top manager doesn't allow you to make it through the grey and lead.....the boss is uncomfortable when middle management makes decisions. Angela Edwards (she/her) Unverified 12:47 PM I have standing meetings with my direct manager and annually we review responsibilities and I include the question what do I have the authority to manage without coming to you. This has improved our approach and decreased the frustration from both of us. Ev Shepherd Unverified 12:44 PM Was this recorded? I came in late. WJ Support Unverified 12:44 PM Yes. Access the slide deck and resources on the event page. The recording will be posted there within 24 hours. https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/middle-management-strategies.html Ev Shepherd Unverified 12:45 PM Many thanks. Shelagh Griffin (she/her) Unverified 12:44 PM Edited This would assist with transparency between all the levels Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:46 PM How to approach senior leadership when there's TOO much grey - even with policies in place that should (in theory) cover certain instances? How do you approach the boss who does not follow policy when you use policy as a middle manager to solve issues? How do other middle managers enforce policies when you have no authority to issue consequences? I can tell admin what is happening and ask for a consequence for staff or patron behaviors, but there is often a delay, and the behavior continues. Jodi dela Pena Unverified 12:47 PM Management styles don't always align within a team both horizontally and vertically, how do you navigate messaging and managing when the approach can be very different from different middle managers? Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:47 PM Adding to the list! TY! Nicole Alman Unverified 12:51 PM How would you handle leaders who resist documentation or think it's too much? Ev Shepherd Unverified 12:54 PM Edited Document anyhow. Maybe don't share with them, but absolutely document. It will save you if things go sideways. Make sure it's strictly factual without biased. Ex: Ms. X said "blah blah blah" and then left the building before the end of her shift. Ferdinand Tumulak Unverified 12:54 PM how do you tackle responsibilities given but is 'beyond' your scope of work? - From a Library IT Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:54 PM How can you maintain moral when staff are already overworked and have too much on their plate with limited opportunities to advance? What to do when other middle managers are not happy and keep coming to you with issues rather than moving it upward. Is it my responsibility to bring it up if it's not part of my department, but does affect it? Jennifer Unverified 12:56 PM Edited Do you do one on one with the whole team or only your direct reports? Sophie McGrath (she/her) Unverified 12:56 PM I recommend both - your directs weekly or fortnightly. Whole team maybe you meet with them every few months Shelby Rozell Unverified 12:57 PM Side note: I LOVEEEE the Section 5 resources, especially how they're separated by frameworks that may work best for us and our community! WJ Support Unverified 12:57 PM Nicole Davis, ndavis@bklynlibrary.org Sophie McGrath, smcgrath@bklynlibrary.org Caroline Kravitz, ckravitz@bklynlibrary.org Tammy M Unverified 12:57 PM This has been a great presentation. Thank you. Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:57 PM If we were not able to answer your specific question, please feel free to email us the question and we would be happy to provide you with a response via email or via a call! Jennifer Unverified 12:57 PM Thank you, the resources are just what I was looking for! WJ Support Unverified 12:58 PM Access the slide deck and resources on the event page. The recording will be posted there within 24 hours. https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/middle-management-strategies.html View the WebJunction course catalog: learn.webjunction.org Stay connected with WebJunction's Crossroads: webjunction.org/email.html Nicole Alman Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you! Ember Hannesson Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you Megan Gironda Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you so much! Really enjoyed this webinar! Liz Spoto - ITPL Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you! Milagros Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you!! David T Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you! Alex Deighton Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you for this webinar! Tessy Walker - Aurora Public Library Unverified 12:58 PM thank you! MM Maggie Mills12:58 PM thank you! Jane Unverified 12:58 PM πŸ‘ Thanks!! Ashley Gilson Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you! Emily Sheehan Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you so much! Very relevant topic, would love more!!! Jennifer Bacall - Door County Library Unverified 12:58 PM Thanks! Nataya Culler Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you! Rebecca B. - DCL Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you! KC Kysh Clemons12:58 PM This was very informative. Thanks for making us feel that we are not alone in the grey areas. Thanks for the resources. Caroline Kravitz (she/her)12:58 PM Thank you all for your enthusiasm and questions! We've really enjoyed connecting with all of you! Lucy Quartararo Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you! Trudy Gregg Unverified 12:58 PM Thank You Great Webinar ! Christina Johnson (Door County Library-Sister Bay/Liberty Grove branch, WI) Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you! Stacia M Unverified 12:58 PM This was great, thanks! Jenny C (she/her) Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you Paulette Harding Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you. Shelagh Griffin (she/her) Unverified 12:58 PM Thanks everyone - this was fantastic! Stephanie Unverified 12:58 PM Thank you so much for this webinar and the resources you are providing! Carla Aragon Unverified 12:58 PM πŸ₯³